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This paper presents new absolute measurements for the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of gaseous argon obtained with a transient hot-wire instrument. Six isotherms were measured in the supercritical dense gas at temperatures between 296 and 423 K and pressures up to 61 MPa. A new analysis for the influence of temperature-dependent properties and residual bridge unbalance is used to obtain the thermal conductivity with an uncertainty of less than 1% and the thermal diffusivity with an uncertainty of less than 4%. Isobaric heat capacity results were derived from measured values of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity using a density calculated from an equation of state. The heat capacities presented here have a nominal uncertainty of 4% and demonstrate that this property can be obtained successfully with the transient hot wire technique over a wide range of fluid states. The technique will be useful when applied to fluids which lack specific heat data.

The conditions are investigated for thermal properties to change from their normal values when solids are heated very rapidly. The properties considered are specific heat, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity. Over times which may be as long as a microsecond, the heated solid is unable to expand: the appropriate values of specific heat and thermal conductivity are then those at constant volume rather than constant pressure. In those alloys where thermal equilibrium requires diffusion, its establishment is delayed, and if solids do not have time to expand, the diffusion coefficient is reduced. For heating times below nanoseconds, the electrons and the lattice may be at different temperatures, particularly if the energy is initially imparted to the electrons. The temperature of the electron gas of metals may then approach the degenerary temperature. The apparent specific heat of a decoupled system departs from the steady-state value in a manner which depends on how temperature is measured. In such a decoupled system the concepts of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity must be used with care.

Experimental data on thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of a semitransparent material generally include an error due to the radiation heat transfer. This error varies in accordance with the experimental conditions such as the temperature level of the sample and the measuring method. In this paper, research on the influence of radiation heat transfer on thermal diffusivity are reviewed, and as an example, the method to correct the radiation component in the apparent thermal diffusivity measured by the stepwise heating technique is presented. The transient heat transfer by simultaneous thermal conduction and radiation in a semitransparent material is analyzed when the front surface is subjected to stepwise heating. The apparent thermal diffusivity, which includes the radiation component, is calculated for various parameters.

This paper deals with the determination of thermal diffusivity in a cylindrical specimen by the use of a periodic heat flow in the axial direction. Heat transfer from the periphery is taken into account, and its influence upon the evaluation of thermal diffusivity from measurement of phase lag and amplitude decrement, respectively, is discussed. Experimental conditions are pointed out for which the evaluation can be done as for a semiinfinite specimen. Theoretical considerations are compared with experimental results.

We have employed a heat-pulse technique to study thermal properties at low temperatures. In the course of these studies we have identified a number of significant aspects of thermal transients which are not normally taken into account. These include finite-time effects for thermal diffusion, a modified equation in the presence of boundary scattering, and the role of thermal boundary resistance at the sample holder. We have used a steady-state, two-heater thermal conductivity measurement in conjunction with the heat-pulse studies to elucidate the latter effect. The result is that pulse measurements using a single thermometer can be used to determine both the boundary resistance and the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of a sample.